Football position indicator



Jan. 30, 1951 J. E. WILSON 2,539,560

FOOTBALL POSITION INDICATOR Filed Jan. 30. 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet l n r\\ t v1 WR km N N n GQ (o l k I o o |I i PPM N N 1 o N l i Q m l \1\ N l N" I x \il l r @l N k w l N NI Q* I m 'N o" LL if N l m 1 N l l L l JW .I "D

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m Q ATTORNEYS Jan. 30, 1951 J. E. wlLsoN FOOTBALL POSITION INDICATOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 50, 1948 INVENTOR J'EFF E. W/LJON BY e I' l'. 1"/ l if HTTINEV` Patented Jan. 30, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FQQTBALL AIt() SITION"INDICATOR J'e Wi'lscn, The Dalles, Oreg.

Application January 30, 1948, Seri-al No. 53317 4 Claims., l

This invention relates to apparatus forl determining and visibly indicating the exaetposition :oi a feetbell en the playing eld during a game. te the players, the officials and the spectators.

The primary object of the inventionA being Lo provide apparatus of this nature which is accuer-ate and easy to operate, simple and serviceable in construction, and relatively inexpensive to in.- stall, and which willy eliminate errors in determining positions of the football resulting from play and those resulting from actions of the oiii.- cials, such as thelv placing of the football incarry, ing out penalties and in returning the football to the original line of scrimmage afteran incomplete or illegalplay.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a football eld linesmans device ofthe above indicated character having a telescope for accurately sighting upon the football on the playing eld Which is supported-for movement along the sideA of the playing eld and which includes. pointer means arranged indicatively relativer te stationary linear yard indicating means positioned with reference to the yard markings on the playing eld, whereby by sighting the telescope on the football before thecemmencement of aplay and again at the end ofa'play, the exacty distance, if any, that the football has been moved is visually exhibited, andI at the same time the. additional yardage required to be made by the offensive team within the remaining number ot downs for attaining a first down is visually exhibited.

n Another important object of the invention is. the provision of a device ofv the character ind'i cated above, in which the sighting telescope andv pointer means can be suspended fromV an overhead cable or track, or movably mounted upon ground level rails, positioned along the sidelines of the playing field., and provided with means. for hold-.-

ing the same in a selected position whereby' acci-` dental shifting, involvingl inaccurate exhibition, is eliminated.

Other important objects and advantages of; the

invention will be apparent fromthefollowing def. r. Sedation and aeeempanving drawings, wherein fier. present purposes 0f illustration only., sneeie embodiment of the invention are set forth in detail.

I nthedrawing:

Figure 1 is afronty elevation showing one eine bodiment of thepresent invention, involving sus--` pension of the ball position and yardage indie` eating, means. from van overhead v cebleand Shenine the device muse byy ariocial,

Figure 2Y is a top plan View of ligurer 1.

Figure 3 is, a frontA elevation of another-ern; bodiment of the invention, involving support ,05E theindicating means; A011 ground rails. f

Figure 4 is a left-hand end elevation of Figure. 3. on an enlarged scale.

Figure 5 is atransverse vertical section, taken on the line 5,.-5 of Figure 3.

Figure 6. is an enlarged fragmentarysectional and elevational detail of the telescope sighting means.

Referring in detail to the drawings, and rstto Figures 1 and 2 thereof,V the` device therein showncomprises a/cable or rod 'l supported4 parallelte the ground 8. by suitable means,` such as posts9 placed parallel Withand at ay suitable distance, for instance 12 feet, from a side line of the foot.- ball playing field.k Suspended from the cablel for movement therealeng. is theirarne, generali;l designated le, comprisingv vertical end members Il, Il connected adjacentA their upper endsby a horizontal longitudinal member 2, strengthened by diagonal braces 1.3 I3. extending downwardly to the end members. At a point slightly below the mid-height of the frame Ill a lOngitndinal` horizontal slide bar or track i4 is ,affl x ed at its ends to the end members ll, i l. A ,telescepeball sighting device E5; which may be inthe general form, of a surveyors transit, is slid'ably mounted f orr movement alongthe `Slide bar or traekl4'ar1;dl has depending from the base i6 thereofthe dovvn Wardly tapering pointer il;v on Whose lovverA end isrotatably mounted onta vertical axis the do.vvn indicator I8, in the form of a cube havinga numeral i9 on each vertical face thereof corresponding to one of the four downs of football play- Rotatably reversibly, Supported .between the end members Il, l2 below the track i4 by trunni'ons 2Ui, 2B on sleeves 2U, 2D slidably embracing the end members having' set screws 23, 2.3,for locking the sleevesat selectedelevations on the enel meme bers., is theherizontal yardage scale 2.4 which is Y longitudinally divided by fractional yard marks.

25 each set of` Whichiis designated by a corre- Spending numeral 26v in Consecutive. ordenfrQm one endhof the scale toyvard the other. The'Jardmarks 2.5. run in theepposite direction 0.11 the. opposite side of the scale 24. The downs ind-ie.

. cator legis positioned beneath the scale 2A. Simi-1 lar but reversed vscale markings are on the oppa-y ste side of.- the scale 2,4.

Oneach end member li .is meunted a friction brake Zlpivoted at 2.8- toeheaee,theCorrespondm ing one of the pulley Wheels 2S, 29 mounted;

forks 30, 3U on the upper ends of the end members and riding on the cable 1, which support the frame II) on the cable. Operating rods 3|, 3l are pivoted to the brakes and depend alongside of the end members through guides 32, 32 which act as stops for one end of helical expanding springs 33, 33 which press upwardly against stop flanges 34, 34 on the rods, thereby normally yieldably applying the brakes to prevent undesired or accidental movement of the frame Ill along the cable 1. Handles 35, 35 pivoted below the guides 32, 32 on the end members Il, II and connected to the lower ends of the operating rods enable momentarily releasing the brakes when desired to permit shifting the frame I along the cable, as in moving the device to follow play and progress of the football on the playing field.

The telescopic sighting device I5, being preferably of conventional form has its telescope element 35' set at right angles to the playing field sideline, but can be elevated and declined to follow and sight upon the football in accordance with the distance of the ball from the sideline, as will be understood. In using the above described device, the frame IIl is moved along the cable 'I to the area of play and the ball is sighted at the beginning of a series of down by moving the sighting assembly I along the frame track I4 until the ball is centered in the telescope 35. In this position the pointer Il indicates on the scale 24 the exact position of the ball. On the next play the ball is again similarly sighted, and the downs indicator I8 having been rotated to exhibit the next consecutive numeral I9, the pointer Il will show on the scale 24 the exact yardage made on the play, if any, and the down The device is left in the position of the prior down or play until the succeeding play has been run oi, so that should any dispute arise as to the starting point of such succeeding play, the device will exactly and reliably show the correct starting point, such as in the event the football is called back cn an incomplete play or for the purpose of stepping olf penalty yardage.

Referring now to the embodiment of the invention shown in Figures 3 through 6, this has in common with the above described embodiment, a frame Ilia which includes the track Illa for the sighting assembly I5a with its depending pointer I'Ia, terminating in the downs indicator I8a and the horizontal longitudinal scale 24a traversed by the pointer Ila. Instead of the frame being suspended from a cable, the frame and members Ila, IIa are in the form of forks, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, composed of front and rear legs 3B, 31, respectively, braced intermediate their ends by cross members 38, and the legs have journ-aled between their lower ends the axles 39 having flanged wheels 4G, t@ thereon which run on rails 4I, 4I on a base 42 staked or otherwise anchored to the ground 8, as indicated at 43.

The yardage scale 23a is mounted on and between the cross members 38, 38 of the two end members IIa, II a by trunnions 455, 44 journaled therethrough and provided with turning handle wheels 45, 45 whereby the scale can be turned. The scale markings on opposite sides of the scale are reversed, as is the case with the rst described embodiment, so that when play is reversed on the field the scale 24a is reversed so that the scale markings will run in the proper direction. y

As shown in Figure 6, the base I6 of the telescopic sighting device I5a may have a socket 46 in which is rotatably confined a head 4'I on the upper end of the pointer Ila, so that instead of having the downs indicator I8a rotate on the lower end of the pointer, the pointer itself is rotatable to change the indicating position of the downs indicator IBa.

What is claimed is:

l. A football field linesmans device comprising a frame adapted to be positioned along the sideline of a football eld, means supporting said frame for longitudinal movement parallel to the sideline, said frame comprising a horizontal track, a horizontal yardage scale spaced below said track, a football sighting means mounted for movement along said track, and a pointer depending from said sighting means and traversing said yardage scale, said yardage scale having longitudinally arranged yard marks on opposite sdesof said scale running in opposite directions, and means mounting said yardage scale on said frame for rotation on a longitudinal axis of said Vscale whereby said scale can be rotated to show the side thereof corresponding to the direction of play on the football field.

2. A football linesmans device comprising a frame having vertical end members, a horizontal track secured to and between said end members at a level substantially vertically spaced from the lower ends of said end members, support means supporting said frame for movement along and parallel to a sideline of a football eld with the lower ends of said end members in relatively closely spaced relation to the ground, a horizontal yardage scale secured to and between the lower ends of said frame end members below said track, and a football sighting and position indicating assembly comprising a sighting device mounted on said track for movement therealong, and a pointer depending from said sighting device and traversing said yardage scale.

3. A football linesmans device comprising a frame having vertical end members, a horizontal track secured to and between said end members at a level substantially vertically spaced from the lower ends of said end members, support means supporting said frame for movement along and parallel to a sideline of a football iield with the lower ends of said end members in relatively closely spaced relation to the ground, a horizontal yardage scale secured to and between the lower ends of said frame end members below said track, and a football sighting and position indicating assembly comprising a sighting device `mounted on said track for movement therealong, and a pointer depending from said sighting device and traversing said yardage scale, said sighting device comprising a telescope base and a telescope pivoted on and extending across said base for swinging in a vertical plane.

"l, A football linesmans device comprising a frame having vertical end members, a horizontal track secured to and between said end members at a level substantially vertically spaced from the lower ends of said end members, Supportmeans supporting said frame for movement along and parallel to a sideline of a football eld with the lower ends of said end members in relatively closely spaced relation to the ground, a horizontal yardage scale secured to and between the lower` ends of said frame end members below said track, and a football sighting and position indicating assembly comprisinga sighting device mounted on said track for movement therealong, and a 5 6 pointer depending from said sighting device and UNITED STATES PATENTS traversing said yardage scale, said pointer being Number Name Date pivoted to said sighting device to rotate on a 650,136 Runnette May 22 1960 Vertical aXS relative t0 Said Sighting deVC- 1,717,805 More June 18J 19'29 JEFF E- WILSON 5 1,820,828 Powell Aug. 25, 1931 2,139,300 Cassell et al Dec. 6, 1938 REFERENCES CITED 2,285,723 Kerrigan June 9, 1942 The following references are of record in the 2,335,066 Lamar Nov. 23, 1943 le of this patent: lo 2,375,150 Townsend May 1, 1945 

